What Predicts What? Self-Reported and Behavioral Impulsivity and High-Risk Patterns of Alcohol Use in Spanish Early Adolescents: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study

Background: The directionality of the relationship between impulsivity and heavy drinking patterns remains unclear. Recent research suggests it could be reciprocal and depends on different facets of impulsivity and different patterns of drinking. The aim of this study was to analyze this potential r...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Fernández Artamendi, Sergio, Martínez-Loredo, Víctor, Grande-Gosende, Aris, Simpson, Ian Craig, Fernández-Hermida, José Ramón
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universidad Loyola Andalucía
Repositorio:Brújula
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uloyola.es:20.500.12412/4608
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12412/4608
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Impulsivity
Alcohol
Adolescent
Longitudinal
Sensation Seeking
Descripción
Sumario:Background: The directionality of the relationship between impulsivity and heavy drinking patterns remains unclear. Recent research suggests it could be reciprocal and depends on different facets of impulsivity and different patterns of drinking. The aim of this study was to analyze this potential recip- rocal relationship between self-reported and behavioral measures of impulsivity and sensation seeking with specific patterns of heavy drinking in a sample of Spanish adolescents across 2 years. Methods: The study has a cross-lagged prospective design in which participants were evaluated 3 times over 2 years (once a year). Participants were 1,430 adolescents (53.9% male; mean age at study commencement = 13.02, SD = 0.51) from 22 secondary schools in Spain. Computerized versions of the following instruments were used: 2 subscales of Impulsive Sensation Seeking, 2 behavioral measures (Stroop Test and Delay Discounting [DD] task), frequency of intoxication episodes (IE), and the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index to evaluate alcohol-related problems (ARP). Random intercepts crosslagged panel models of reciprocal relationships between impulsivity measures and alcohol use outcomes were used. Results: Individual levels of self-reported impulsivity and sensation seeking significantly predicted prospective involvement in IE and ARP. Performance in behavioral measures (Stroop Test and DD) did not predict subsequent heavy drinking or alcohol problems. No measure of drinking was found to be a significant predictor of prospective changes in impulsivity. Conclusions: Within-person levels of self-reported impulsivity and sensation seeking significantly predicted further heavy drinking from as early as 13 years old, whereas behavioral measures were not predictive. In our study, neither IE nor ARP predicted prospective changes in impulsivity. Further studies should address additional specific relationships between facets of impulsivity and specific outcomes of heavy drinking.